River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1887-10-20
CABBAGE FOR MARKE
Method Adopted I'm New England Il
Keeping II During the Winter.


Keeping 1t During the Winter.
There are two methods of disposing
of the cabbage crop: Oie is to sell al
the goin g price directly from the field
getting from 70 'ty cents TO one dollar
per barrel, according 10 the market
This method gives very little if any
waste. and makes very easy and clean
trimmings, and sometimes gives the
best FL lrns. for some years the price
is as good when harvested as in
March or April following.
The other method is to hold the crop
until winter or spring. and this makes
storage necessary. The farmers OF
Dracut practice storing in cellars. and
Il number of them have built large
cellars expressly for this purpose,
while o hers use their barn cellars or
the basement of some outbuilding.
Ole of the largest of these storage
cellars is about 60x40 feet and 10 feet
high. built in side hill with doors and
shutters in the south side and hen.
house in the roof above it. This cellar
gives room for perhaps fifteen hun
bred barrels of cabbage. beside having
ono end partitioned Off for storing three
or four hundred barrels of onions. The
c1bbages are cut up about half way Of
he stump. the loose leaves trimmed off
and the heads packed away in
racks that are built from the floor to
the top of the cellar. These racks are
so arranged as to allow n passage every
six feet or so, and the heads are laid in
only one deep on the shelves so as to
allow frequent inspection and thorough
circulation of air.
In such cellar the cabbage can be
taken out very conveniently at any
time that the price is good enough to
suit the owner. and if the temperature
has been properly attended to will
come out fresh and crisp. and bring a
good price.
Another way of storing is to cut
them up about half way of the stump
if well headed; If loose pull roots and
all. and set them heal up on grass
ground and cover with pine shives.
oak leaves or with meadow hay. but it
requires much more hay than leaves to
keep out the frost. And still another
way of bedding is practiced by some Of
the gardeners near Boston, and by
some seed-growers. who pack them
away in broad. shallow pit. cover
with straw or hay, and then with dirt.
and / have seen beds covered first with
dirt and then with seaweed. The OBJ
ject being in all these different ways to
so cover them as to keep warm enough
not to freeze much--a little freezing
does no harm-and keep them cool
enough not to heat and decay. This
all seems simple enough. but when
put in practice it is found difficult to
make n perfect success of it.
Cabbage should be bcdded in some
well. drained spot, for wet ground OF
standing water will draw frost, so it i.
necessary to have the rain find a quick
passage from the bed or frost will
often follow it down and spoil the cab
bage. have tried to make plain the
diff rent methods of keeping the crop.
and nov as to objects of keeping it.
which are two-one to save valuable
time at harvest and the other to gain
money in the selling. Although there
is sometimes year when the price
rises but little on account of an extra
large crop or some such good reason.
yet the price is generally much higher
in winter and spring than when har.
vested. as was the case this last year.
when the price rose from 80 cents per
barrel in November TO 81 50 and 50
per barrel in April and first week in
May. although those who sold in JAM
nary or February received only from
IS cents to sl.25 To know just how
to keep the crop and just when to sell
it requires experience aud close
watching of both the market and the
supply. but the reward when you get
it is sufficient to pay well for the work
and expense incurred Il Charles w.
Mann. ia " T. Herud.